Hon Hai mum on plans to make robots in mainland

TAIPEI--Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd., also known as Foxconn Technology Group, declined to comment Wednesday on a Chinese media report that Foxconn will produce robots in Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China.

“We have no comment on the report,” a Hon Hai source said.

The report said that the Harbin Economic Technological Development Zone had signed a letter of intent on cooperation with Foxconn and other businesses to set up a robot industrial park in the zone's New Industrial City this year.

According to the report, the robots produced by Foxconn will be mainly used in the production processes for spray finishing, welding and assembly.

A Hon Hai source has said the group is planning to dramatically increase automation this year on its assembly lines in its factories in China, especially those that mass-produce products for brand names. The factories include those in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province and in Yentai, Shandong province.